Newark Schools Get Interim Leader

As the search for a new superintendent to lead Newark’s troubled school system heats up, New Jersey named the former principal of a nationally recognized school in the district to the interim position.

Deborah Terrell, a regional Newark administrator, will officially begin Monday as interim superintendent of the state-controlled district. But the appointment is being viewed as a legal requirement to fill an empty spot, rather than a nod to any preference for a permanent leader, a Christie administration source said.

Newark’s previous superintendent, Clifford Janey, announced his resignation last month, more than four months after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he would be replaced. The state Department of Education then put a transition team in charge of Newark schools and said its own former acting commissioner, Rochelle Hendricks, would be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the district.

Christie has made Newark a focus in his drive to overhaul the state’s education system. In May, Christie said Newark has an “absolutely disgraceful public education system, one that should embarrass our entire state.”

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.